The Battle of Chapu was fought between

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

forces at Chapu (present-day Zhapu) on the northern shore of

Hangzhou Bay Hangzhou Bay, or the Bay of Hangzhou (), is a funnel-shaped inlet of the East China Sea, bordered by the province of Zhejiang and the municipality of Shanghai, which lies north of the Bay. The Bay extends from the East China Sea to its head ...

during the

First Opium War The First Opium War (), also known as the Opium War or the Anglo-Sino War was a series of military engagements fought between Britain and the Qing dynasty of China between 1839 and 1842. The immediate issue was the Chinese enforcement of the ...

Battle

Map of the battle Before the attack, the British commander, Major General Hugh Gough divided his forces into three: a column of infantry on the left (863 men) and right (969 men), with artillery in the centre. Gough accompanied the right column, which landed first on May 16. The remaining troops moved round to the rear of the enemy thereby cutting their communications with Zhapu. Meanwhile, the accompanying steamers began a bombardment of the city's defences. In Gough's own words: "The enemy were completely taken by surprise; as usual, they were unprepared for anything except a frontal attack. They gave way on all sides and took to flight, with the exception of a body of some 300 Tartar troops who seized a small joss-house, and held it with indomitable pluck and perseverance." Multiple assaults proved necessary to capture the joss-house with casualties suffered on both sides; eventually it fell and after each of the gates had been captured, the city fell to the British. Not without cost and Gough lost one of his most accomplished field commanders Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Tomlinson who was killed personally leading a breaching party of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot.

Aftermath

The British did not remain in Zhapu long. They captured the city's ordnance and destroyed its arsenals before moving on to attack Wusong. Hailing, the Manchu commander at

Zhenjiang Zhenjiang, alternately romanized as Chinkiang, is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River near its intersection with the Grand Canal. It is opposite Yangzhou (to its north) a ...

, received the report of Zhapu's surrender on June 18.Elliott, Mark (June 1990).
Bannerman and Townsman: Ethnic Tension in Nineteenth-Century Jiangnan
. ''Late Imperial China'' 11 (1): 51. The Manchus committed mass suicide while the Han Chinese discussed the situation with the British. When hostilities ceased, Chinese official

Yilibu Yilibu (Manchu: ''Ilibu''; ; 1772 – 4 March 1843Boulger, Demetrius Charles (1898). The History of China'. Volume 2. p. 146.), also spelt Elepoo, was a Chinese official of the Qing dynasty. A Manchu of the Bordered Yellow Banner, he was Viceroy ...

returned sixteen kidnapped British soldiers to Gough in "recognition of his courtesy in releasing the Chinese captured at Chapoo".

Gallery

File:Engagement at joss-house.jpg , Engagement at the joss house File:Joss House, Chapoo 1842.jpg , ''Joss House, Chapoo. Death of Col. Tomlinson'' File:Close of the attack on Chapoo.jpg, Close of the attack on Chapu

References

Citations

{{reflist

Bibliography

*
Bulletins of State Intelligence
'. Westminster: F. Watts. 1842. *Rait, Robert S. (1903).
The Life and Campaigns of Hugh, First Viscount Gough, Field-Marshal
'. Volume 1. Westminster: Archibald Constable. 1842 in China Chapu Chapu Chapu May 1842 events Mass suicides Amphibious operations involving the United Kingdom Chapu